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In Summer 2019 in the framework of the EU funded ERASMUS+ project ABC-Assisting Better Communication, Speech and Language Therapist from ONO Academic College, Israel, Adi Twik delivered 3 day workshop at Ilia State University: Hearing impairments, Assessment and Intervention.

Public lecture was attended by master students of Communication, Speech and Language Therapy at Ilia State University, as well as by specialists working in the field of language intervention.

The Department of Speech and Language Pathology and Audiology of the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences purchased equipment worth 18,000 euros as part of the Erasmus + project “Assisting better communication” funded by the European Commission. Books, tests for assessment of speech-language status, laptops, i-pads, software, headsets, were acquired in order to better educate students in the exercises, to acquire practical knowledge in accordance with modern trends and achievements, as well as to conduct scientific research on the second and third a cycle of study that will be competitive and published in eminent journals. The acquisition of a smart board will allow for the advance  theoretical instruction too.

On 3-4 October, 2019, International Conference in Communication, Speech and Language Therapy was held  in Batumi, in frames of ERASMUS + project  ABC Erasmus + ABC- Assisting Better Communication. During the conference members of the project consortium from Netherlands, Portugal and Israel presented topics on such important issues as : Promote communication development in children with multiple disorders, professional ethics in speech and language therapy, language development in children with hearing impairments, family involvement and early intervention, aphasia, voice disorders, language flexibility disorders, clinical supervision and early literacy. The conference was attended by language and speech therapists from the Netherlands, Croatia, Portugal, Israel, Bosnia&Herzegovina and Georgia.

On October 5-6, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University hosted the final workshop of the project consortium. The four-day conference was opened by University Rector Merab Khalvashi, Project Coordinator Nino Tsintsadze, Dr. Isabel Amaral and Dr. Marlene Jansen. The goal of the project “Promoting Better Communication” was to develop / enhance the language and speech therapy profession by offering quality courses and programs in communication, language and speech therapy profession.

In frames of ABC project students from beneficiary countries: Georgia, Israeli and Bosnia@Herzegovina had an opportunity to spend 2 weeks in the Universities of Partner European countries. Prior to their visit special criteria of student selection was elaborated among consortium members. Gordon Academic College contributed to it and it was decided to select students according to their academic achievements and English knowledge level, as well as commitment to participate fully in the training workshops and complete all assignments required and to present a summary of what they learned to their department/faculty when they return from the training. Here is a quote from the letter of one of the students from the University of Haifa to Prof. Saskia Damen, University of Groningen: “We would like to express our warmest gratitude for being invited as your guests in the recent study visit to Groningen. We thank you for all that you have done to make this visit an unforgettable one – the fascinating lectures we were given by the excellent lecturers from the University of Groningen, educating assignments, teaching clinical visits, meetings with other international students, touching concert performed by children and adults with special needs, and unique tours in the university campus and the beautiful city.” Below you can see a video prepared by the students from East Sarajevo about their experiences.

n June 2019, a workshop for parents of children with communication difficulties was held in Tbilisi and Batumi organized by Step Forward and Georgian Portage Association. Workshop participants were provided with up-to-date approaches to working with children with communication disorders – how to develop communication skills in a variety of situations, what is the role of the parent, as a communication partner, and what strategies should be applied by them. The participants were given practical materials that would enable them to work with children at home. The workshop was held within a framework of the ERASMUS + Project “Assisting Better Communication”

Roundtable on “Ethics, Standards and Identity of Educational and Rehabilitation Specialist” was held on March 2, 2018 in the Amphitheater 2, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Tuzla, under the auspices of the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation, University of Tuzla, all within the Erasmus + project : Assisting Better Communication.

The beginning of the round table also saw the inauguration of a student gathering: Let the good voices be heard, jointly conducted by the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Faculty and the Association of Students of the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation in Tuzla, held from March 2 to March 4, 2018 in in partnership with the Student Parliament of the Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation – FASPER in Belgrade, and the Association of Students of Social Pedagogy, Zagreb, with the support of the Federal Ministry of Education and Science.

The aim of the roundtable was to start a discussion on the ethics, standard and identity of educational and rehabilitation sciences, as well as their impact on the population, presenting good practices and student initiatives in the field of these professions. The event brought together university professors, practitioners and students from the field of educational and rehabilitation sciences from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia, who are also co-organizers of the event.

The Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Faculty of the University of Tuzla in cooperation with the Public Institution for Preschool Education “Our Child” and the Center for Early Growth and Development of the Health Center “Dr Mustafa Sehovic” Tuzla celebrated the European Day of Speech Therapy on 06.03.2019.
In order to raise awareness of the early recognition of speech and language disorders in cooperation with the expert team of the Public Institution for Preschool Education “Our Child”, a lecture was held at the kindergarten “Sunčica” on the topic of early growth and development, early recognition of dyslexia and development of reading skills. The lecturers were: Ph.D. Mirela Duranović, Full Professor and Ph.D. Jasmina Klebic. The lecture was intended for parents and employees of the Public Institution for Preschool Education “Our Child”. The event was organized as part of the EU Erasmus + project “Assisting Better Communication”. In order to raise awareness of what speech and language pathology is, who are speech and language pathologists and where they work, students of the Department of Speech and Language Pathology and Audiology of the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences of the University of Tuzla distributed brochures to parents.

When it comes to the work of the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation, University of Tuzla, in addition to regular teaching activities, a series of workshops, lectures and round tables are organized, aimed at improving the knowledge of teaching staff.

A block of lectures on a topic “Creativity outside the box” was held in the “Derviš Susic” library. Professors Mirela Duranovic and Vesna Bratovcic as well as Assistant Professor Lejla Kuralic-Cisic addressed the attendees as lecturers. The lecture was organized as part of the Erasmus + project “Assisting Better Communication”.

Prof dr Mirela Duranovic Ph.D., had a presentation on the topic: „Creativity and Dyslexia“, prof. dr Vesna Bratovcic had a presentation on a topic: “Creativity Outside the Box”, and ass. Prof. Lejla Kuralic-Cisic had a presentation on a topic: „Development of creativity and prevention of bihevioral disoreders“.

More than 50 experts from different profiles, teachers, psychologists, pedagogues, speech therapists and audiologists, educators and rehabilitators, social pedagogues and students attended the lecture.

Within the regular program activities and professional training of members of the Association of Defectologists of Canton Sarajevo “STOL” and within the framework of the Erasmus + project “Assisting Better Communication” on Saturday 22.12.2018. at 14: 00h at the “Mjedenica” Institute, a lecture was held on the stopic of “Dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties”. The lecture was held by Dr. Mirela Duranović, full professor.

Also, within the Erasmus + project “Assisting Better Communication”, 23.12.2018. at the Faculty of Pedagogy of the University of Sarajevo, a lecture was held about the objectives of the project and realized activities, about the way of recognizing speech-language disorders and the importance of including of speech-language therapists in working with the mentioned population.